Inking arrangement for printing machines



1951 M. REYNOLDS ETAL 2,571,383

INKING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRINTINGMACHINES 1951 M. REYNOLDS EI'AL INKING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed May 18, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 16 1951 INKING ARRANGEMENT Fen PRINTING MACHINES Milton Re no d a ln meamen. c to.

Ill assignors to Reynclds Printasign Col, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May- 18, 1950, 'Serial'No. 162,644

1'1 Claims. (01. f'e'if ist) This invention relates to sign and card printing machines of the type shown and described in the co-pending application of Harold G. Bar.- rett and GodfreyE. Thomson, Serial No. 132,382, filed December 10, 1949, and in UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 2,115,692 granted to Robert J. Thorn, April 26, 1938.

One of the principal objects of the subject invention is to provide an improved inking a1.- rangement which will largely insure adequate inking'of the type'as a normal accompaniment to the movements of the type case which necessarily occur as incidents to the type selecting operations,thus to a very large extent eliminating the need of shifting the type case for the sole purpose of inking the typethereby substantiallyreducing the time and labor involved in the doing of any given printing job.

Another important object is to provide an improved inking arrangement wherein the inking roller surfaces assigned to the various type groups are proportioned as to area commensurately with the surface areas of the respectively associated type group or groups-which improved arrange-.- ment has been found to be capable of affording more uniformity in the printed product than it generally is possible to realize where type of widely different sizes are served by an equal number ofinking rollers of the same diameter.

A further object is to provide an improved inking roller arrangement which will eifectively prevent or remove excessive ink accumulations in the encircled recesses or loops of certainletters and characters-which accumulations have in the past often resulted'in considerable spoilage or impairment of the printed product.

Still another object is to eifect certain time and labor saving improvements through a new arrangement or re-orientation of the type case and its carriage.

The above-recited objects have been accomplished as the fruits of certain novel features of improvement which can most effectively be explained with reference to the drawings in conjunction with the ensuing detailed description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sign or card printing machine incorporating the features of the subject invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately at line 2-.2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately at line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately at line 44 of Fig. l, including a plan view of the inking rollers and the pan in which they are mounted; and

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of Fig. 4, illustrating the spring suspensions of' the inking rollers.

The printing machine shown in its entirety in Fig. 1 comprises arectapgular base A; a'prair of track supporting members B secured to 091105 site sides of the base; two parallel tracks 0 sup..-

.. ported by the members E; a carriage D mounted on the tracks 0 and movable forwardl and back thereon above the base A; a type case E mount: ed :on the .carriage D for bodily movement in the horizontal plane transversely of the base A; a bridge F anchored at either end to the members B; and spanning the base A above the carriage D'and type case E; a housing G carried by the bridge F and forming a support for numerous mechanical components having to do with the printing and spacing operations; and a card carrier H in the form of a rectangular metal plate resting-on the top surface vof the base Aand movable universally in the horizontal plane.

A card -20 uponwhich the printed matter is .to be. impressed is removably secured to the .card carrier. H, usually by means of adhesive tape. and is movable with the card carrier to efiect the necessary spacing between consecutive letters of each line and also to .efiect spacing between successive lines.-

The mechanism includes a vertical plunger 23 which normally is poised at an elevation above the type case E, and a manually operable actuating arm 2| together with a handle 22 through the medium of which the plunger 23 is moved downwardly to engage and depress any selected type bar'within the type case E. Movement of .thecard carrier H, together with the card 20, to .bringabout .the desired spacing between consecutive letters or characters is accomplished automatically during return of the actuating arm '2 I .to itsnormal posture in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

Inasmuch as the subject invention is 1101216011;- cerned with the mechanism for actuating the plunger 23: or the automatic spacing mechanism, no further description with respect thereto will be includedin this specification. A complete dc..- scription of. those parts of the machine will be found in the above-identified application of Harold G. Barrett and Godfrey E. Thomson.

The-typecase'E-is a rectangular box comprising a top plate 24', aabottom plate 25 and four vertical walls 25; and is equipped with wheels 2] and 28 at opposite sides resting'on parallel rails 29 and ,3fieattached respectively to side members 3| and 32 .of .the'carriage D. ,As will be evident, .the :type ecase E- isebodily umovable on the carriage D in the direction parallel towthe side members 3] andl32', whichiszto say transversely of the base A; and it isiequippedwith a handle 34 to facilitate such movement. The carriage D is, in turn, provided withwheels, not shown, which rest on the .tracks G, thus enabling the said carriage .to @be bodily moved horizontally, together with the type amass case, in the forward and back direction, which is to say perpendicularly to the path of the type case along the carriage D. The above-described universal mounting of the type case obviously enables it to be moved in all directions in the horizontal plane so that any portion of the top plate 24 can quickly and easily be positioned in registration with the plunger 23.

A large number of vertical type bars 35 are housed within the type case E; and these extend individuall through openings in the bottom plate 25 and are normally held in their elevated positions, as per Fig. 2, by individual retracting springs 31. Each type bar has a type face 38 fixedly attached to its lower end, facing downwardly and normally situated in a common horizontal plane. The upper ends of the several type bars are aligned individually with openings 40 in the top plate 24which openings are dimensioned to slidably receive the plunger 23-the upper end of each type bar having a pilot or nipple 35a designed to slidably fit a recess in the adjacent end of the plunger. It will be apparent that openings 40 can be selectively and individually brought into registration with the plunger 23 through manual movement of the type case; and it will further be apparent that a downward movement of plunger 23 through any one of the openings 40 will result in the associated type bar 36 being depressed until the type face makes contact with the card 20 therebelow.

Ordinarily, a type case is equipped with type of three widely different sizes-large, medium and small-and the type of each size are grouped together and arranged in rows extending lengthwise of the type case; that is to say in the direction of movement of the type case on the carriage D. Thus, as sufficiently illustrated in Fig. 2, all the large type are grouped to the left or far side of the type case, as viewed from the operator's position, Fig. 1, while the small type are at the near side, with reference to the operator, and the medium type are positioned intermediately of the other two groups. This particular disposition of the several groups of type is, of course, arbitrary and subject to change; but any re-arrangement which may be adopted should be accompanied by a consistent change in the inking rollers, to be described hereinafter, so that the type of each size will be served by a commensurate amount of inking roller surface area, which is to say proportionable to the surface area of the type.

Six inking rollers, identified by reference numerals 42-41 inclusive, are disposed in two groupssee Fig. 4-8301'1 a reverse counterpart of the other. As clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, these are located immediately below the type case E and adapted to contact the faces of the type for the purpose of applying ink thereto when the type case is moved long the rails 29, 30 relatively to the carriage D. The rollers extend crosswise of the path of the type case with their axes at an angle of about 8, more or less, to a line normal to said path. Each roller comprises a tubular core or bushing 50 and a rubber or equivalent resilient covering The several tubular cores or bushings 50 may be identical as to length and in other respects, and each is rotatably mounted on an individual rod 52 which is non-rotatable. The six rods 52 may be identical, as shown, and are located within a sheet metal pan 55 which serves chiefly to intercept any ink which may be thrown downwardly as the rollers rotate. The pan 55 comprises a horizontal bottom plate 56 having a large central opening 51, and four upstanding flanges or walls 58-6 I inclusive. It spans the carriage and is removably attached to the two side members thereof, 3! and 32, through the medium of suitable pins and screws which engage the flanges 59 and 6|-as most clearly depicted in Fig. 2. Flanges 59 and SI are each provided with six vertical slots 62, through each of which extends one end portion of one rod 52, individually; and each said end portion is flattened on two opposite sides to slidably fit the slot, whereby the rods are free to move vertically to a limited extent while being restrained against rotation. Each rod 52 has an annular groove close to each outer end, which groove is engaged by a loop at the lower end of a coil tension spring 63, individual thereto, and the upper end of each said spring is anchored in like manner to a pin 64 which is fixedly secured to one of the flanges 59 or 6|. It will be evident that each rod 52 and the roller carried thereby is supported in suspension by a pair of suspension springs 63, by. virtue of which the rollers are vertically yieldable and are pressed against the type faces when engaged thereby.

As shown in Fig. 4, the rubber coverings 5| of rollers 42 and 41 are long enough to make contact with only the largest type; the coverings of rollers 43 and 46 are long enough to contact both the large and medium type, but not the small type; and the coverings of rollers 44 and 45 are long enough to contact all the type. Accordingly, the large type are supplied with ink by six rollers; the medium type by four rollers; and the small type by two rollers.

All six rollers are coated with printers ink, and as the type case is moved along the carriage, first one way and then the other, for the purpose of bringing successive type bars into registration with the plunger 23, ink is incidentally applied by the rollers to the type faces. We have learned from experience that for the usual installation the largest type consume about three times as much ink as the small type and that the medium type consume about twice as much as the small type; and that as a result of providing approximately proportionate amounts of inking roller surface areas, the density of the printing remains satisfactorily uniform as the ink supply diminishes. However, exceptional cases may be encountered where one or two type sizes may regularly be employed far more extensively than the other or others, and in such event it may be found expedient to provide a greater or lesser number of rollers for certain type than is ordinarily provided. This, obviously, can be accomplished by appropriate changes in the number of rollers serving the various type groups; and the total number of rollers can, if necessary, be increased or decreased to suit particular requirements.

Upon inspection of Fig. 2, it will be observed that adjacent type faces are spaced apart, edge to edge, lengthwise of the inking rollers, as indicated by way of example at 66; and it will be evident that if the rollers each remained in a fixed position, axiswise, a substantial portion of the surface of each roller would never make contact with the type. This condition we have obviated by disposing the rollers at a suitable angle, as previously described, and by so constructing the rollers that they are free to move axiswise to a limited extent. To that end the bushings 50 are made substantially shorter than the distance between the upright flanges 59 and GI. By virtue of the angular disposition of the -'-ro"llers,- the tangential force applied ithereto by the-{type causes them to move axiswise, -aswell asrotationallmiirstone way and then the o'the1;

the direction"being reversed with the direction of movement of thee-type case. Consequently,.1a;ll

those surface areas of --the rollers which otherwise would coincide with the spaces between the rows of type 1 and thus serve no useful purpose --now--make-contact-with the type f-aces. Hcwever,

the matter of bringing the whole surfacearea of each'roller '-into -:contact -with the type :faces is only -a-minor -factor,--so to speak. Of much encircled small recesses or-loops ofcertain letters such, -for instance; as-the loop of the letter e and which frequently would cause such letters 'to be faultily printed. It is our view that the rollers so angularly disposed function in the manner of Squeegees and thus are effective to g withdraw ink from the encircled recesses or loops,

vention resides in the provision of and disposition of the two groups of inking rollers at either side of the line 68, Fig. 4, which coincides with the axis of plunger 23, and as close as is conveniently feasible to said line. As a result, a very little movement of the type case in either direction along the carriage D will bring the last-used type face into engagement with one or the other of the two groups of rollers. Hence, in a great ma- J'ority of instances the next selected type face is.

properly inked without the necessity of effecting a special movement of the type case for the sole purpose of inking the type. If the same letter or character is to be printed twice in immediate succession it ordinarily is necessary to move the type,

casebetween impressions for the purpose of reinkingthe same -and-when--successive letters or characters are closely grouped in the type array it sometimes is necessary to follow the same procedure in passing. from one such letter or charac-- P ter to the next. But far more often than otherwise two successive letters or characters are neither identical nor so closely grouped asto re- -quire shifting ofthe type case beyond what is A further improvement characterizing our in vention anddistinguishing it from related sign and card printing machines of the prior art lies in a new orientation of the type case and carriage relatively to the base whereby certain advantages are realized. In previous machines the carriage,

was mounted for movement transversely of the base whilethe path of the type case along the carriage extended toward and away from "the operator. Hence in order to move thetype case hlengthwise of the rows of type, which -is to ;say

:crosswise ofthebase, it;.was necessary tormcve the carriage as .well,.just,as it is necessary in operating the present machineto move the carriage inorder to shift the type case crosswise of, the rows 5 :of type. Becausejitworksoutto better advantage .to distribute the type of .each alphabetical group. in rows extending .transversely of the base .and thus lengthwiseof; the type case, there norxmallyisymuchmoreimoyement of the type case transversely of the baserthan inthe direction tov.ward'and away from theoperator. Consequent- ,ly, as.will now be apparent, considerably more .;manual.effort was.,.involved in the operation of comparable prior machinesthan is the case operating .themachineherein described, since it requires more. effort to shiftthe carriage together .with the typecasethanto shift the type case -alone. .-An vadditional advantage accruing from .thenew arrangement is that it permits of theuse 2o .ofmuchsshorter inking rollers. Since the inking .rollers must;be;s.upported by and movable with v the .carriage,v it follows that they must extend crosswisegof the. path of the. time along the carrlfiage; a dinasmuchas the said path of thetype casepreviously extended in the direction normal -to;1its length,' it ,wasnecessary that theinking rollers span the,,type case lengthwise instead of transversely. Naturallyand for obvious reasons the shorter rollers which weare now able to em- -15 u p yar p f rabletothemuch l n r rol r -,pr

viously required.

.It was hereinbefore explained how the dis- .position of therollers in two, groups located at either side of the plunger 23 substantiallyreduces the necessity of shiftingthe type case for the sole purposeofinking the type. Now it may be understandably pointed out thatthe sameadvan- ;tage could not berealized .withq-the previous orientation of carriage and type case because the movements of the type case-involved-in the selection of successiveletters or characters would but seldom result in the .previouslyused typebeing passed across the inking rollers; and thus incidentally re-inked. That follows from the fact that the bulk-of each printingjob entails the use of a .single alphabet, and the further fact that each alphabet is arranged in one or more rows extending lengthwise-of-the type case so that the space occupied thereby widthwise of the type case is small by comparison with the overall length'of a single row. Therefore, the movements of the vtype caseinvolved-in.shifting from row to row of a given.alphabet,.where there is more than one @row, would'not be suflicient to bring about incidental re-inking of the type, except possibly in the case of the largest type. But even if that were not the case, no sufficient advantage could be gained because in too'large a percentage of T instances the consecutively selected type are 10- ,50 eated in the same row.

While we have'illustrated and described only .-what'we presently-deem to be the preferred embodiment of our invention, there obviously are ,ma-ny -.possibleg-modifications within the scope c5 tthereof.

- l.:-.-'J3he comb ination;in a printing machine of a -type case,"trackssupporting saidtype case for :movement along a rectilinear path, a "plurality losof typ carried by said type case, the faces of said type being -normally situated in, a common plane parallel "to said; path, said type being arranged --gin,- ayplurality of rowsuextending; parallel to said suat randeiuaeed' apart-.laterally ;to form a gap 'ifigrbfililt den eachjpain of adj acentrowsofxtype:faces,

and a plurality of inking rollers, each positioned to engage a certain row or rows of type faces for transferring ink thereto and each movable axiswise and rotationally and having its axis extending transversely of said path at an acute angle to a plane perpendicular to said path, said rollers being of different lengths such that at least one is adapted to contact all rows of type and at least one is adapted to contact a lesser number of rows of type, the arrangement being such that the tangential force applied to the peripheries of the rollers by the type moving thereover is effective to move the rollers axiswise as well as rotationally.

2. The combination in a printing machine, of a type case, tracks supporting said type case for movement along a rectilinear path, a plurality of type carried by said type case, the faces of said type being normally situated in a common plane parallel to said path, said type being arranged in a plurality of rows extending parallel to said path and spaced apart laterally, and a plurality of rotatable inking rollers each extending transversely of said path in operative relation to the type for transferring ink thereto by contact with the type faces, one of said rollers spanning a plurality of rows of type and adapted to supply ink to the type comprising all said spanned rows, another of said rollers spanning a lesser number of the same rows of type and adapted to supply ink to the type comprising said lesser number of rows, the arrangement being such that a certain row or rows of type are supplied with ink by a larger number of rollers than supply ink to the other rows of type.

3. The combination in a printing machine, of a type case, tracks supporting said type case for movement along a rectilinear path, a plurality of groups of type carried by said type case, said groups consisting respectively of large, medium and small size type, each group comprising one or more rows of type extending parallel to said path, said groups being spaced apart laterally of the path, the faces of all said type being normally situated in a common plane paralleling said path, a first inking roller extending transversely of said path and having a peripheral surface long enough axiswise to span all said groups of type and make contact therewith, a second inking roller extending transversely of said path and having a peripheral surface long enough axiswise to span and make contact with the groups comprising large and medium type but not the small type, and a third inking roller extending transversely of said path and having a peripheral surface long enough axiswise to span and make contact with that group only which comprises the large type.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein the axis of each said roller extends at an acute angle to a line perpendicular to said path, each said roller being free to move axiswise as well as rotationally.

5. The combination in a printing machine, of a base, a carriage overlying said base and movabl along a rectilinear path toward and away from the operators position, a type case supported by said carriage and movable thereon along a rectilinear path extending transversely of the base and perpendicularly to the path of the carriage, an array of vertical type bars supported by the type case, each typ bar having a type face at its lower end all of which are normally disposed in a common plane, a vertical plunger located above the type case in a. position which is fixed, horizontally, relatively to the base, said plunger being operative upon downward movement to depress said type bars individually and selectively, and two groups each comprising one or more inking rollers supported by the carriage below the type case and extending crosswise of the path of the type case along the carriage and positioned to contact the type faces. said groups being disposed at either side of said plunger.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein each of said rollers is movable axiswise to a substantial but limited extent and wherein the axis of each roller is disposed at an angle of more than 70 and less than to the path of the typ case.

7. The combination according to claim 6 where in each group comprises a roller long enough to span the entire array of type widthwise and to make contact with all the type, and a second roller of lesser length adapted to make contact with only a portion of the type.

8. The, combination according to claim 7 where-.

in the array of type comprises a plurality of groups of difierently sized type, each of which type groups is disposed in a row or a plurality of contiguous rows extending parallel to the path of the type case along the carriage.

9. The combination in a printing machine, of a base, a carriage overlying and supported by said base and movable thereover along a rectilinear path, a type case supported by said carriage and movable thereon along a rectilinear path perpendicular to the path of the carriage, an array of vertical type bars supported by the type case and disposed in parallel rows extending lengthwise of the path of the type case alon the carriage, each of said type bars having a type face at its lower end all of which are normally disposed in a common plane, a vertical plunger located above the type case in a position which is fixed, horizontally, relatively to the base and operative upon downward movement to depress said type bars individually and selectively, and two groups of inking rollers supported by the carriage below the type case and extending crosswise of the path of the type case along the carriage and positioned to contact the type faces, said groups being disposed at either side of said plunger.

10. The combination according to claim 9 wherein the axis of at least one of said rollers is disposed horizontally at an angle of the order of 8 to a vertical plane normal to the path of the type case along the carriage and wherein at least said one roller is fre to move axiswise to a substantial but limited extent.

11. The combination according to claim 9 wherein the axes of said rollers are disposed horizontally each at an angle of the order of 8 to a vertical plane normal to the path of the type case along the carriage and wherein said rollers are free to move axiswise to a substantial but limited extent.

MILTON REYNOLDS. HAROLD G. BARRETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 910,691 Klucken Jan. 26, 1909 1,221,429 Elmblad Apr. 3, 1917 

